Angel of the Leaves
by Haru Takami
Summary: Fem/Naruto! Don't like? Don't read! Naruko, Konoha's secret gaurdian angel and mistress of mayhem Is embarking on the journy of a lifetime. bad at summeries, okay? No pairing as of yet, will most likely be F/F, but I could manage to throw a guy in their
1. Chapter 1: An angel gets her wings

AN: Okay, yeah, I know. I've still got "Legend of the Leaves" going, "Naruto: A Destined Heart" going, and "Ask Zuko" still needs it's 'goodbye' chapter… but unfortunately for me, I'm on a new computer writing this and the beginnings of those first two's chapters are on my currently-without-power desktop. =.= Ah well, here comes a new fic that the idea struck me while reading the first few paragraphs of Protoomegavox's "The Fox of the Red Cloud" fic.

Also, this will be a FemNaru/Naruko fic. Don't like it, don't read.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or the original line that sparked this fic:

-_Sarutobi spoke in a heart fallen voice as he watch with out in his the Angel of the leaves for the last time_-

That belongs to Proto, and Naruto to Masashi Kishimoto. I make no money off this.

Angel of the Leaves

Chapter 1 – An Angel gets her Wings...

* * *

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed around the dark, damp tunnel that was the sewers of the proud hidden leaf village, mixing with the heavy panting of the small form running for its life. This continued for several minutes until the small person slipped on a patch of wet ground, crying out first in shock from the slip, then pain as they hit the ground, landing on what appeared to be a broken arm.

Wincing, the figure used their good arm to raise themselves from the ground, shaking slightly as they resisted the urge to scream in pain from the injured limb. Attempting to stand, the young figure nearly collapsed upon discovering the slip must have twisted their ankle. Limping and holding their arm gingerly, the figure passed beneath a grating, allowing a beam of pale moonlight to illuminate their features.

Long, waist-length, sun-kissed blond hair hung in two dirty pigtails on either side of the young girl's face, her short bangs hanging over dull cerulean orbs as she paused to look up at the moon from behind the bars that mocked her from the top of the sewer tunnel that she had used to escape the mob that formed every year on this day, her birthday, October Tenth. She was seven.

Sighing quietly she continued along the tunnel, noticing an "X" carved crudely into the floor of the tunnel next to handholds on the wall concealed to any who did not know of their existence. Bracing herself for what she was about to do, she released her injured arm, it falling limply beside her as she clenched her teeth in pain, tears forming in her eyes as she lifted her now free hand and placed it within the handhold, slowly pulling her small form up, having to throw her hand up quickly from handhold to handhold to avoid falling the growing distance between herself and the concrete below, using her uninjured arm to hoist her good leg up as the twisted ankle would nearly give each time she ascended.

Tears were rolling down her face by the time she reached the hidden panel, hidden from view by a powerful illusion by the man who had created it for her. Using her head she knocked quietly on the loose wood. Shuffling was heard from above as the panel was lifted, revealing what appeared to be the underside of a desk, uneasily she crawled out from the hidden passage and to the stretch of floor to the front of the desk.

"Naruko? Why are you here this late? What- Kami! Naruko! Who did this to you!" Came the worried voice of the elderly man who sat at the desk, and had opened the passage for the young girl, stepping around to take a look at the young girl, his triangular red hat falling away to reveal a balding, tanned scalp with white hair spiking outwards behind his hears, along with a white goatee, crows feet resting beside panicked eyes, sparks of anger glimmering just behind their worried appearance.

His only reply was a muffled sob, looking closely he saw her cradling her right arm, the distortions beneath her skin an obvious sign of it being broken. Quickly he stood and pressed a button on his intercom. "Raidou! Fetch my personal doctor! Quickly, this is a matter of utmost importance!" As the intercom clicked off, the man known as the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, kneeled back down beside the girl, placing a hand on the shoulder of her uninjured arm. "Don't worry Naru-chan, Eboshi-san will be here soon… then we'll get you all fixed up… ANBU!"

Several men wearing grey body armor and white masks with animal shapes appeared in the room, crouched low with their heads bowed.

"Boar, bring me the schedule for Naruko's guard patrol today, along with today's guard and all members of their squad." He said quickly, the ANBU in question left in a swirl of leaves. "Sparrow, Tiger, capture anyone who is a part of the group searching for Naruko and bring the civilians to the jail and the Shinobi to the interrogation department!" The two masked ninja nodded as one and vanished as such, just as the door burst open to reveal a middle-aged woman with dark hair up in a bun rush into the room wearing a nightgown, a robe hastily thrown over it as she held a suitcase filled with medical instruments and supplies.

"Kami… what have they done this time…" Eboshi frowned, kneeling next to the girl and flashing through hand signs, her hands glowing green as she passed them over the young girl's body. "Her arm's broken in six places… a fractured rib… and her ankle's twisted… but other than that she's fine… surprisingly enough there's no internal bleeding…" the medic said, sighing "right now she's just in pain, if we can set her arm in a splint and speed along the healing, her 'tenant' should be able to heal her the rest of the way…" Sarutobi nodded to this. They both knew that the nine-tailed demon fox sealed within the young girl's body would heal the damage over time once the problem was set straight.

Getting to work Eboshi began to set the arm, trying to ignore the cries of pain as the young blond cried out from her arm being forced to move while broken. Eboshi hated hurting the young girl, but over the years she had grown sensitive to touch while sleeping, if anyone neared her she'd wake up instantly, even if forced into unconsciousness, and her tenant made it as to where sedatives had no effect whatsoever.

Several hours later, Naruko was sleeping quietly on the couch in the third's office, the only place he could be certain she would be safe. After her arm had been set and put into a sling, her ankle in a splint to avoid moving it as it healed, Sarutobi had brought her to the interrogation chambers, along with the jails, to see if she could identify any of the villagers or ninja that assaulted her. That was the plan however.

Naruko you see, had denied any of them being there, despite several of them bragging to each other when they thought themselves alone about just what they had done. The elderly village leader could see that despite the young girl knowing just who had done this, she would never turn them in. She was just too kind to do that to a person, even one who had most likely mortally wounded her on several occasions. After that the hokage had brought her back to the tower and told her to rest on the couch as he tackled the enormous amount of paperwork that had sprung up since she had arrived via the secret tunnel he had constructed and concealed for her.

Looking away from the stack of paperwork he had just finished, Sarutobi smiled at the way the young blond's hair spread around her head like a halo, if it weren't for the orange and black jacket the girl wore he'd swear she was an angel, sent from the afterlife to spread joy, but then as he saw the sling on her injured arm he remembered just why she was sleeping here. Sighing he took out his pipe and tapped out the ashes of his tobacco (AN/ don't smoke kids! It kills!) before placing new leaves within and lighting it, taking a deep puff before breathing out the smoke in a ring around his head.

"Naru-chan… despite all you've been through you're still the same angel you always have been... If only the villagers could see this…" Sighing again he returned to his paperwork, planning to finish before the young girl awoke.

Several weeks had passed, and in this time Naruko had still refused to reveal the identities of those responsible for the two days she had spent with a broken arm, saying she had merely tripped and fell down a long flight of stairs. Even the elderly Hokage treating her to all she could eat of her favorite food ever, ramen, she would not divulge the names… though after seeing the amount of noodles the girl packed away it had left both himself, the store's owner, and even several jealous members of the Akimichi clan wonder just where she put it all.

Naruko had also learned that she would be attending the shinobi academy the coming fall, much to her excitement. After all, one of her dreams was to become hokage, the guardian of the entire village, and not to mention the most respected person she could think of. The hokage had laughed at this and told her with training she would make a fine hokage. With his encouragement she had spent almost a week reading up on books the hokage had given her after she had left his care, saying they were presents to help her when she entered the acedemy.

Naruko smiled as she walked happily through the village, ignoring the glares sent her way by villagers that passed her by who didn't simply ignore her presence all-together. As she passed by a playground she stopped for a few minutes to watch the children playing happily with one another, sighing quietly and squishing the urge to go and ask to join them, for she knew what would happen. Either they would decline and call her names, or accept only to have a parent appear out of nowhere like they always did and pull their children away, calling her 'demon brat' and 'monster', before telling their children not to mess with her. As she went to turn away a voice made her pause.

"H-h-hello…" Came a quiet voice, turning Naruko noticed that there was a girl about a year her junior, with medium length bluish hair and the most beautiful lavender eyes the young blond had ever seen.

"Uhhh… hello…" the stunned girl replied, for no one had ever actually come over to talk to her without harsh words coming from their lips. Both girls shifted uncomfortably before the lavender-eyed girl spoke up.

"My… My name is H-hinata Hyuga… may I ask who you are?"

"Naruko… Naruko Uzumaki."

"It… It's nice to meet you, Uzumaki-san…"

"San? Please, just call me Naruko" The blond blushed, not used to having such formalities placed upon her. Receiving a nod and a soft smile from the pale-eyed girl she smiled back. "Can I call you Hinata-chan?" Receiving a nod in reply she smiled. "So, Hinata-chan… Are you alone? Most parents don't like their children playing with me…" A sad look crossed Naruko's face, a similar look crossing Hinata's.

"No… a member of my family is with me here though, he is watching from the other side… are you here with anyone?" as soon as the words crossed her lips she realized she had said something wrong as the short blond (Naruko Note: I'M NOT SHORT!) hung her head, her bangs obscuring her eyes.

"No… I don't have a family…" At this Hinata gasped before reaching out to put a hand on Naruko's shoulder. It was then the Hyuga made himself present.

"Hinata-sama, I believe it is time we returned to the clan compound." He said, placing a hand on Hinata's wrist, keeping her from touching the whisker-marked girl before them as he eyed her with a look of distaste, something that did not go un-noticed by Hinata. Blinking she looked back to her new friend and sighed, something deep inside her urging her to tell her family member something rude… but her outermost personality wouldn't allow it as she silently nodded and bowed her head.

"I hope to see you soon, Naruko-chan" she said softly, smiling as the blond looked up and gave a weak smile back, nodding.

"Yeah… me too" replied the blond, waving as her new friend followed her clan member back to their home. Sighing quietly Naruko turned and left the park, not noticing two pairs of eyes watching her go.

"You think we should follow her? She looked kinda down…"

"But I thought our parents said she was a bad person and we shouldn't be around her?"

"Dose she look like a bad person? I know you've got a brain behind that massive forehead pinky. Now c'mon! Before she gets too far away!"

"Alright… but if we get yelled at it's all your fault, pig!"

The two figures followed the blond all the way to a ramen stand that was hidden between two of the pair's favorite clothing stores. It amazed them that they never realized it was there. Quietly they entered the place to see the girl smiling as a bowl of ramen was placed before her.

"Thanks Teiuchi-ojiisan!" Said Naruko, as she clapped her hands together "Itadakimasu!"

The girls watched quietly from next to the entrance as the girl went through four more bowls before finishing and giving her thanks to the chef, both of her followers wondering in unison where she put it all. They almost jumped when she turned around after paying her bill and spotted them.

"Umm… Do 'ya need anything?" asked the confused blond, looking between the two girls in the entrance, one a bold looking blond with her hair up in a ponytail, the other a shy looking girl with pink hair held out of her eyes by a red ribbon. She recognized the pink-haired girl from the park. They had met briefly before her mother had dragged her away before the girl could get a good look at Naruko.

"Uh… we were just…" the pink haired girl started, biting the tip of her finger slightly before her friend spoke up.

"We were wondering why you looked so down… did that stuck up Hyuga say something to you?" asked the blond, frowning and pursing her lips. Blinking, Naruko stared at the girls before her before shaking her head.

"What? No, he had to have said something! You looked like someone just let their dog tear up your flowers right in front of you!" the blond cried, waving her arms wildly and fuming slightly.

"Ino-chan… she said she was fine…" The shy one said, turning emerald eyes towards her friend.

"No she's not Sakura! Nobody gets that look on their face when their' fine!" Ino said angrily, stomping her foot. Sakura sighed and shook her head slightly.

"I'm sorry Ino-pig is so pushy…" Sakura said, a vein appearing on her large forehead. (Sakura Note: IT'S NOT THAT BIG!) "My name is Sakura Haruno… and she's Ino Yamanaka… Who are you?"

"Oh… My name's Naruko Uzumaki… it's nice to meet you" She replied, bowing politely. "ummm… I don't mean to stick my nose in… but… did you follow me from the park?"

At this both of the followers turned red, starting slightly at being found out so easily.

"Then… aren't your parents going to get worried if you're not there any more?"

Those words were all it took as the two looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Mom!"

"Daddy!"

Both girls were off before Naruko could blink, cries of "Bye Naruko-chan! See you soon!" could be heard from the dust clouds that had become the two girls. Sighing quietly and smiling weakly Naruko bid the ramen stand owner goodbye before heading back to the small apartment she had been living in since she turned six last year. Looking up at her window she saw that the glass was broken, again, along with the boarded shutters she had put over them to keep stones and kunai from breaking them, obviously to no avail. Shaking her head she walked away from her apartment complex and down a side alley, followed by two more as she came across one filled with dumpsters and piles of blankets and things of the like. Looking for a certain pile of blankets she spotted it, moving slightly signaling something was beneath it. Smiling she moved towards it, pulling out an obviously stale cracker from her orange jacket's pocket.

A muzzle stuck out from beneath the blanket, red and narrow. More rustling followed before the head of a small, red fox popped out. It gently took the cracker and began eating, not minding it was stale.

"There you go Kona-chan… eat up…" Naruko said soothingly, stroking the fox's head gently as more movement followed from beneath the blanket, two smaller foxes popping their heads out, looking up at the girl with big green eyes. One was red like its mother, the other was an ash-grey with black tips to its ears and tail. Giggling Naruko pulled out two more crackers and fed one to each kit, rubbing behind their ears as they ate.

"It's nice to see you too Kofu-kun…" she said, petting the red kit "And you Hai-kun" the ash-colored fox (AN/ I'm using hai to mean 'ash', not 'yes', like the Haimaru triplets (Hana's dogs) or Haineko(matsumoto's zanpak-to on Bleach, none of which I own.))  
"I hope you guys have been doing okay…. Sorry I don't have more, I got kinda hungry again…" she blushed as the mother fox seemed to give her a look that said '_you're always hungry_' Sweat-dropping, Naruko sighed. "I'll get you guys some more food tomorrow… I still have to check and see if my money is still in my apartment… but for tonight I'm staying with you three…hopefully they wont find us… and if they do you three hide just like I showed you, okay? Receiving nods from the three animals Naruko sighed and wrapped herself in the blankets with her three fellow outcasts, remembering just how she had met these foxes as she fell fast asleep.

~_Flashback no Jutsu_~

_Naruko was cold, the rain made sure of it as she attempted to seek shelter beneath an old tarp. As she pulled it over her head the wind chose to pick up, carrying the tarp away from the six year old. Shivering she resisted the urge to cry and headed for the next form of shelter, an empty space behind a dumpster. As she entered the wind died down and the rain ended… for her at least. It just seemed to pick up outside her makeshift den. The sound of growls behind her caused her to freeze, turning slowly she saw a rather thin, yet round looking fox, its fur obviously red, yet patched with mud and what looked to be small cuts._

_Her eyes widened as they locked with the kitsune. Blue met green and the young blond could see… herself, in the animal. They sat there like that, simply looking into each others eyes for what felt like hours. Finally the staring contest ended as the fox moved over to her slowly, resting it's head on the young girl's knee. Smiling, the whisker-marked child reached into a pocket and pulled the soggy remains of what was once a cracker… the last bit of food she had after being kicked out of the orphanage she was staying in. Holding it out to her new 'friend' she smiled as the young fox ate. Gently she pulled the fox into her arms and leaned against the wall. Closing her eyes, Naruko began to sing a song that had always played in her head._

"Home is where the heart is… I want to go home…"

_Stroking the young fox in her lap she smiled, the words coming as she sang, unknowingly filling the young animal with a feeling she herself kept within the song's words…_

"Long I've traveled… Long I've tried…

To find the feeling deep inside.

With all my heart, with all my soul,

To find a home to call my own."

_Hope._

"With friends and family I call dear,

To be with me through joy and fear…"

_She wasn't sure how she knew it, or if she had just made it up, but it helped to keep her going. It gave her a dream, one she wanted to fulfill more than anything…_

"To be the ones close to my heart…

The ones to let me start…. Anew…."

_To have a family she could love… and be loved by in return._

"Home is where the heart is…I want to know home…"

_Naruko soon passed out, curled around the small animal who she had unknowingly saved from death. Those who had heard the song through an open window, or in neighboring alleys could not help but wipe tears from their eyes… though had they known where the music had come from they would never have let it finish. _

_The next morning Naruko awoke to find herself alone. As she crawled out of her hiding place she looked up to see the sun high in the sky, the small strip of blue devoid of any clouds to hide it's brilliant light. Hearing quiet yips coming from a small pile of blankets, Naruko raised it slowly to reveal her friend from the previous night… curled around two young fox kits, both pawing blindly at their mother's stomach. Her eyes widening a smile formed on her face as she reached down, petting first the mother, and then the kits. The smallest of the two, a grey one with black tips to its ears and tail lifted its muzzle towards her, sniffing quietly before licking her fingertips softly._

"_Maybe… maybe you can be my family…" Naruko said quietly, smiling down at the young foxes._

~_flashback no jutsu – KAI!_~

The next morning Naruko sighed and entered her apartment through the open doorway, the door hanging from a single screw in it's bottom hinge as it had been kicked in. Looking around the devastation she could see several new marks of graffiti with things like "Monster" and "Demon Scum!" written in large letters. Sighing she saw that even her fridge had been both disconnected, and tipped over, causing the few things held within to either spill, spoil, or a combination of the two. Moving to her bedroom she saw that all her clothing had been shredded, her closet ransacked, and more graffiti strewn about the walls, and even the ceiling, surprisingly enough the bed was left untouched. Looking closer she saw that there were senbon needles jutting from the mattress at random spots, so that if she laid down they would impale her small form.

Sighing she looked under her bed and saw that it was untouched, not even the dust was touched, exactly how she liked it. Reaching under the bed, she pushed on a nail that stuck just barely above the surface of the wood, causing the rest of the plank to lift, on the other side of her bed. Standing and walking around she looked inside and fetched the money hid there, which surprisingly enough was several thousand ryo, stuffed into a small frog wallet, which was actually rather large from all the bills inside.

Smiling that she still had it she put it inside her jacket and ran to the hokage's office. Panting as she stepped in the door the elderly leader smiled at her from over the mountain of paperwork that was his desk.

"Ah, good morning Naruko-chan… is there something I can do for you?"

"umm… jiji…I was wondering…how much dose it cost to have a house built?" the young girl asked, looking at her feet and causing the elderly hokage to blink before frowning.

"Now… Naruko-chan, what is wrong with the apartment building I rent for you?" he asked. Naruko sighed and explained the state of her living quarters to the old man, from the tipped fridge to the senbon jutting from her bed, and everything in between. By the end of the story the hokage was furious to the point he had actually snapped his tobacco pipe halfway through the explanation without realizing it. Standing the hokage set the remains of his pipe on his desk and moved around the wooden structure to his unofficial adoptive daughter… only going around because he was not young enough to merely say… throw the obnoxious structure through the window at the idiocy of the village outside.

"Come Naruko, show me where you would like to build this house of yours." He said, opening the door for her, to which she smiled and headed through, followed quickly by the elderly Sarutobi clan member. "Raidou-san, please reschedule all my appointments for my return. I am afraid there is an important matter to which I must see to." He said, nodding to the scarred man at his desk, receiving a confused "y-yes, hokage-sama."

And with that, the two left. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the most powerful man in the village, holding the hand of the village's pariah as they left to where Naruko's imagination ran rampant so as only she could see it.

"Well… I must say that this is a wonderful place to build a home… tell me Naruko… How did you come across this?" Asked Sarutobi, as he gazed around the large clearing in the forest around the hokage monument. Naruko merely smiled.

"I come here every now and then to tend my flowers…" Naruko said, moving towards a small patch of brilliantly colored flowers. "Yamanaka-sempai says that they are some of the best flowers he's seen grown outside his household… he actually sells me fertilizer cheaper than normal if I only buy a little." At this Sarutobi smiled, making a mental note to thank Inoichi personally the next time he saw the clan leader.

"This truly is a lovely place to build a home, Naruko-chan." Spoke the third, nodding.

"That's not the only reason I like it here jiji! C'mon!" and with that, the short blond (NN: NOT SHORT!) grabbed the curious man's hand and dragged him towards the tree line, and after about four minutes of being dragged, they stopped at a sight that took away the old man's breath… in a good way that is.

The view was remarkable. From this point Sarutobi could see the entirety of the village of Konoha, bar what stood on the other side other side of the mountainous monument. Smiling he looked down at the young girl before him, only to have his breath catch yet again.

The sun was starting to set, and had caught the young girl just the right angle so as her hair had become alight with the dying rays of the sun, turning it from sun-kissed blond, to a bright, fiery inferno of yellows and golds and whites. Turning, the young girl smiled and the aged Hokage could swear that he saw a halo hanging over the young girl's head as she glowed in the evening light.

"See Jiji? I told you it was beautiful!"

"Yes… Yes it is Naruko. Yes it is."

* * *

AN/ *whistles* wow. Didn't expect that to take that long! Anywho, I'm not sure what pairing, if any, will be in this fic, so feel free to put forth your own suggestions! NOTE! I will NOT be pairing her with Sasu-gay, Sakura, Kakashi or Kiba. Also, next chapter expect Cameos~!

I hope you all like this, and let me tell you that the ideas for the story came as I typed, including that song. Speaking of it, I'm not sure if I was subconsciously remembering a real song or just came up with it as I went. If it's a real song it belongs to whoever it was written by, if not:

"_Want to Know Home_" © Takami Haru

Welp, gotta say it's been fun. Until next chapter, Ja Ne!


	2. Chapter 2: Hell hath no fury like

AN/ Yo! Welcome to chapter 2 of Angel of the Leaves! Yup, wrote this right after chapter 1 so as to keep on my train of thought. I finished what proto-san has of red clouds, and I have to say, if you don't mind the occasional spelling error (I know I don't, I make them all the time) it's a great fic with a great plot.

Enough advertising! Remember, cameos abound!

Naruko: Haru dose not own myself or this universe. It all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. He only owns the plot and makes no money off of this!

Thanks Naruko-chan. Now, on with the chapter! Oh! Also, I do not own any other people that may appear as cameos in this chapter! They are property of themselves or whoever holds the leash!

"Speaking"  
_Thought_

(someone butting into the story/notes)

_[me arguing with the person butting in on the story]_

Angel of the Leaves

Chapter 2 – Hell Hath no Fury Like an Angel Scorned…

* * *

A thirteen year old Naruko sat tending the flowers outside her home of the last few years. Humming a quiet tune she patted the soil around the stems of the brightly colored buds before rubbing her hands together in an attempt to remove some of the dirt from them. Standing, she moved towards the large house she had paid to be constructed atop the Hokage monument. It was a modest two-story building, designed like those from the clan district of Konoha.

"Ah, Naruko" Said an elderly voice from behind her "You'll be late for your exam at this rate!"

Turning, Naruko saw the elderly, robed form of her jiji, the third Hokage, and leader of the village, smiling at her from the concealed walkway that lead to her home hidden amongst the trees. Sighing, she nodded, standing and patting off her knees, the excess dirt from her hands clinging to her pants and actually increasing the dirtiness as opposed to removing some of it. Sarutobi sighed inwardly, Naruko always wore pants, as opposed to the skirts and battle-dresses her fellow female classmates wore.

"Do I really have to jiji? What's gonna change this time? We both know I'm just gonna fail… again…" said a dejected Naruko, her head hung in both shame and embarrassment. You see, this would be Naruko's third time taking the graduation exam at Konoha's shinobi academy, failing once would have been okay, as she had been allowed into the academy a year early by the hokage, meaning she would have been able to graduate with students her age, but having her fail a second year made it so as to where she had to graduate with students a year her younger… if at all. You see, three failures was the maximum limit before one was expelled from the shinobi academy and forced to go to civilian school until the age of eighteen.

"I'm afraid so Naruko-chan… but as you know, it is better to have tried and failed…"

"Then to never have tried at all… I know jiji… welp, best get goin' then. Ja!"

And with that Naruko took off, her waist-length blond hair flowing behind her in a long ponytail, short bangs hanging above crystalline blue eyes resting still above whiskered cheeks. Hastily she untied the black and orange jacket (jiji hated that she wore it, but hey! She likes orange!) from her waist, slipping it onto her arms over the blackish-blue long T –shirt she wore.

"Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Hn."

"Uzumaki Naruko?"

Dot dot dot.

"Uzumaki Naruko!"

The teacher sighed.

"Yamana-"

"Uzumaki Naruko present!"

A crash was heard as a body crashed through the doorway, literally, and causing it to cave inwards with the force of the impact. The brunette teacher winced slightly before moving to check the swirly-eyed young woman laying on the ground in a heap.

"Naruko… YOUR LATE!" came the cry from an irate Umino Iruka, pony-tailed teacher of Konoha academy, and Naruko's big brother figure in life.

"Ugh… not so loud nii-san…. My head hurts…" came the mumbled reply from the floor, arms covering the girl's head as she tried to quell the throbbing pain in her skull.

"That's what happens when you full-body tackle a wooden door… with your head!" Iruka sighed, helping the girl to her feet. "Just try to be careful next time Naruko… and you know you're paying for the door!"

"Yeah, yeah nii-san, Just don't mark me tardy!" Naruko smiled over her shoulder as she walked towards her seat at the back of the room, between a boy with dark, pineapple-shaped hair… who looked like he had just been sleeping before Naruko's spectacularly loud entrance, and a girl with black hair and mint green, apparently sightless eyes.

"Ugh… can you find a louder… and more destructive way of entering a room Naruko?" came the pineapple-head's response.

"Oh can it Shikamaru, you needed to get up anyways!" came the reply from the dark-haired girl. Mutters of 'troublesome blind girls' and 'destructive clumsy blonds' could be heard as Shikamaru laid his head back down, though neither comment went unnoticed by the females beside him.

"Thanks for saving me a seat Teishu-chan." Said the 'destructive, clumsy blond' to her somewhat friend.

"Meh, no problem really… if you hadn't shown up I was gonna dump some ice water down his shorts anyways" at this the pair laughed, causing Iruka to yell for silence as he finished the names.

"Alright. Today is the day of the final exam! You all know what this means! If you graduate today you will officially be considered shinobi of the leaf!" at this there were joyous cries, though he noticed that Naruko was not among the ones cheering. "Now I know you're all exited… but remember this. Everything you learned here at the academy will be useless out there in the field. You may be top of the food chain here, but once you put on that headband you're back at the bottom rung of the ladder."

Here the cries of joy turned into either groans of displeasure at being the 'freshmen' of the shinobi world, or scoffs at the fact they'd be considered that weak. (sasu-gay)

"I know, I know, you've all worked extremely hard… well… most of you have at least" and at this he threw a piece of chalk directly at shikamaru, who surprisingly raised a hand, causing the chalk to hit dead in the palm as opposed to the top of his head, surprising most of the class… that was until the shadow-tamer let out a loud snore, signaling he was asleep.

"… as I was saying, you've worked very hard to reach this point… but remember that once you graduate you'll have your team mates to help you on missions, so you wont be alone." With this he pulled out his clipboard, holding it before him. "And with that said, remember the most important rule for shinobi: _surprise_ is a ninja's best weapon, be suspicious of _everything_, no matter how ordinary. Now, good luck on your exam and may the 'will of fire' as lord hokage says, burn brightly in each of you."

As Iruka called off the first student to take the exam, Akimichi Choji, Naruko sighed and layed her head down before an idea struck her.

"Oi… Teishu-chan… Shika's asleep now…" Her grin could split her head in half it was so large, and the one forming on the pseudo-blind girl's face was beginning to match. If Shikamaru was able to see this, he would have defiantly called it the most troublesome thing in the world.

"Hyuu Teishu" Iruka called. Naruko wished her friend luck before sighing at being left with Mr. Wet-pants and the remaining students.

"Uzumaki Naruko" Iruka said, sighing and waiting for her to come down, which she did slowly, seeming to be steeling herself for yet another failure... one he hoped wasn't coming.

"Alright nii-san, lets do this." Naruko nodded, steeling her gaze as she entered the examination room, Iruka following, having a good feeling about this time. "Alright Naruko, you know the drill. You must show us five of the six of the academy's jutsu; replacement, transformation, rope-escape, disappearance, and the doppelganger techniques. Exploding notes will not be required this time due to the incident last year… you remember which one… " Iruka said, sighing at the memory in which Naruko accidentally scorched the eyebrows off her examiner by, surprisingly, making the note far stronger than they taught at the academy, while still maintaining it's stability.

"r-right… umm… so, uhh… rope-escape first?" Naruko said, sitting in a chair as Iruka nodded. It was then that Iruka's fellow examiner, a white-haired man named Mizuki, whom Naruko seemed to normally get the chills from stepped forewards.

"Allow me Iruka, you've done all the rest, I'll get them from here on."

"Oh, why thank you Mizuki-san. Feel free to." Iruka nodded as Mizuki did the handseals, causing ropes to appear and bind Naruko to the chair… much rougher she noted, than last year. Struggling, she tried to move her wrists only to have the ropes binding her squirm slightly and keep her wrists apart, frowning she tried again to the same result, almost as though they knew she was attempting to form hand signs. Thinking she decided to try something new, not sure how it would work.

Using both hands, she moved them apart from each other, and to her surprise the ropes loosened slightly, yet still not enough to escape. Her joy was short-lived however as they tightened at double the strength before, showing they had no intention whatsoever of releasing her. Sighing she took another tactic, drawing on something jiji had told her long ago about shinobi sometimes being able to do jutsu with their hands separated. Closing her eyes in focus Naruko began to form the hand signs at opposite sides of the chair, and, to her surprise, as she completed the final one her arms slid effortlessly through the binds, along with the rest of her body as she fell onto the floor below, blinking. To say Mizuki was shocked would be an understatement, as would be Iruka's.

Even Sasuke (bleh!), the classes star pupil and rookie of the year, had only been able to pass his upper body through the ropes enough so as he could untie the rest of his body, where as Naruko had managed to phase her entire body through not only the bindings, but the chair as well. The only reason Mizuki was more surprised than Iruka was because he knew that the jutsu he had used was meant to be used against shinobi prisoners to keep their hands apart and prevent them using that very technique to escape.

Grinning, Naruko stood as the ropes faded into chakra again.

"so… umm… that's replacement next, right? And then disappearance?" to which she received dumb nods. Taking this as her queue, Naruko replaced herself with the chair, and for a little flair actually preformed the disappearance jutsu mid-transfer, leaving the chair simply dropping while Naruko didn't appear at the other end. Iruka and Mizuki's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as they looked around the room for the blond trickster.

"did she just…"

"My lord… she didn't mis-cast the jutsu, did she?"

"I've no idea… what do we do if she did?"

Snickering and restrained laughter reached their ears as Naruko appeared out of thin-air, laughing and falling onto her back, pointing at the two behind the desk and causing them to gape at her.

"N… Naruko, what did you just do?" it took a few minutes for Naruko to reign in her laughter enough to reply.

"I used the –snort– disappearance jutsu in the middle of my replacement." She grinned at the two dumbfounded shinobi.

"Naruko… you… you do realize that is a jounin level technique, right?"

"Really? Huh… I've been able to do it for years… you kinda need to learn that stuff when there's people chasing you…"

The two proctors nearly passed out, but regained enough of themselves to continue on.

"Um… yes… well… you still must do the transformation and doppelganger techniques…" Said the brunette, scratching the long scar that crossed over his nose slightly, getting a nod from his (secretly) favorite student.

"Okay! Here we go! Transform!" and with that Naruko burst in a cloud of smoke to reveal shikamaru, sleeping lazily in the chair, head lolled back with his forhead protector tied around his left arm.

"Sh-shikamaru?"

"Gah… fail… you told her to do transformation, not replacement…"

"Huh… what am I doing here…?" Muttered the lazy 'good-for-nothing' friend of Naruko, looking around the room sleepily before standing up and yawning.

"I'm sorry Shikamaru, it would seem that Naruko replaced you with herself…" Iruka trailed off, hearing the restrained snorts coming from Shikamaru, before blinking repeatedly. "N… Naruko, is that you?" His only reply was a nod as 'Shikamaru' continued to try not to laugh, Mizuki simply unable to believe that this was, infact Naruko.

"Iruka… we should test the ability of his henge, to make sure it is up to standard. He may look and sound like Shikamaru, but we have to make sure that it wont be dispelled too easily." Mizuki said calmly, fury boiling underneath his skin that he had been fooled by the _demon child_ of all people. Slowly, his fellow chunin nodded, and both went to inspect Naruko from every angle.

One of the main things they noticed was that rather than keeping the person her height, as she had done last year (NN: I am NOT **SHORT**!), meaning she was actually Shikamaru's height. Another thing they noticed was that she seemed to have worked every detail into him, from the paper cut he had gotten before entering, to the water-spot still on his pants from Teishu waking him up after they had done choji's test. Frowning Mizuki reached forwards to see if touch would dispel the genjutsu, and jabbed 'Shikamaru' in the forehead, where he knew would be over Naruko's… only to impact his finger with flesh and skull, earning a grunt from the girl-turned-boy before him, and a small glare sent his way as 'he' rubbed 'his' forehead.

"Amazing." Iruka commented "I wonder…" and with this the teacher made a handsign, flooding the area around Naruko with his own chakra in an attempt to break the illusion. "Kai..."

…Only for nothing to happen. This caused both teachers to blink. Mizuki then tried himself, forcing enough chakra to break a chunin-level genjutsu… to the same effect.

"Umm… are you two done?" asked Naruko, arching 'his' brow before he released the jutsu 'himself' and returned to normal, leaving two shocked ninja standing before her.

"uhh… oh… right, the final jutsu. Naruko, please perform the bunshin no jutsu, the doppelganger or clone technique." And this was where Naruko sighed, steeling herself for her worst jutsu ever. Preforming the handsigns she attempted to mold her chakra enough for three required clones needed to pass the exam.

"Bunshin no Jutsu!" there was a cloud of smoke… and when it dispersed…there stood two Narukos… and a third, sickly-looking one that had an odd male-like appearance to it, with short blond hair and masculine features about it's person before both clones poofed away. Naruko hung her head. It had always been her weak point, no matter how hard she tried.

"I'm sorry Naruko… but the test requires you perform all five jutsu up to standard… while you may have exceeded expectations of even a high genin-level shinobi on four of them… the fact still remains you had to have passed all five jutsu to pass… you fail Naruko."

"Oh come now Iruka… she did manage to make one clone… shouldn't we count that for something?" came Mizuki's response. In truth he would like nothing more than to fail the blond little ingrate, but he had to put on the 'nice teacher' act if his plan was too succeed later on…

"I'm Sorry Mizuki, but Naruko had to make three clones in order to pass that portion of the exam… we can't let her pass." Iruka sighed. "I'm sorry Naruko… I hope-" but she was gone.

Naruko sat on the swing outside the school, beneath a large tree which provided plenty of shade in the warm summer sunlight that was almost always present in fire country. But the shade of the tree showed just how down Naruko was as she watched all her classmates with their headbands. Several students were being congratulated by their family members. Hinata she could see, was being picked up by a branch member… the one she had seen with Hinata all those years ago in the park. Sakura was with her mother, a fellow-pink-haired woman that seemed to be going grey early, and who kept sending glares mixed with satisfactory smiles her way, almost as if laughing at the fact Naruko didn't graduate… and never would. She saw Inoichi Yamanaka, Ino's father, nod to her and give her a sad look, while a purple-haired man with equally purple eyes with strange black lines going from the corners of his eyes to the edges of his iris meet Teishu before they left.

Unable to stand it any longer she got off the swing quickly and took to the rooftops, not noticing a white-haired teacher watching her go.

Naruko sat atop a random building in the leaf village, staring out at the evening light with her chin rested on her knees, held close to her by arms her as her cheeks slowly returned from their red, puffy appearance to their normal pale tan… an oxymoron but hey, it's my fic.

"Naruko… are you okay?" came a voice from behind she identified as Mizuki. Sighing she turned her head slightly and nodded, allowing him to sit next to her.

"you know that Iruka only failed you because he cares about you… if he doesn't think you're ready he won't send you out there… even if it means never sending you out there… so long as he thinks it will protect you." Mizuki said as Naruko looked at the tiles of the roof at her feet. "you know, you and Iruka are a lot alike… you're both orphans… and even he failed the graduation exam…" It was at this that Naruko looked questioningly at him. "it's true! Iruka failed twice and barely passed the third time. He spent the first two years just trying to get attention… he pulled pranks, he got into trouble… he even broke that same door you did… twice!" at this Mizuki was laughing, and soon Naruko joined in, smiling at the idea of a young iruka pulling pranks and breaking doors with his head.

"but you know… there's still a way you could pass.. I know another way…" And with this one sentence, Mizuki had the young student's full attention, and her cooperation judging by the looks of hope and longing in her eyes. "you see… all you have to do is…"

Naruko had evaded the ANBU black-ops so far, but that wouldn't last forever as she made it to a secluded clearing, near the wall of the village, a small shack behind her, dilapidated and molding from disuse. Sighing she plopped down in front of the building to catch her breath. Mizuki told her that the ninja would act like this was a real theft, and that she was to avoid being caught at all costs. Since she thought she had some time she opened the scroll to see if she could learn that one jutsu before Mizuki arrived to test her…

_You're mine demon bitch… just you wait, once I find you that scroll will be mine and you'll take the blame…_

"Naruko! It was you?" Came the call of Iruka, who had burst in on an exhausted looking Naruko, leaning on the forbidden scroll of sealing, which had just been stolen from the Hokage's tower not thirty minutes prior. Afterall, it was only natural that he be the one to find Naruko, after all, every time she pulled a prank and evaded ANBU capture, he was always the one to corner her. Every time, and it had unknowingly earned him the nickname of 'fox hound Iruka' from the few shinobi who disliked the blond girl.

"Huh? Oh! Hey nii-san! I just finished learning a new jutsu from the scroll, just like Mizuki-sensei said! Now I can graduate, right?" asked an exited Naruko, her energy seeming to return by the second as she awaited the conformation that this was, indeed true. Iruka however was baffled.

"W-what? Mizuki? What do you mean you'd get to pass? Naruko, what is going on here?" Iruka asked, Naruko's expression falling at every word. She never got the chance to respond however as Iruka was suddenly hit from behind by several Kunai, the blades sinking into his back through his green flak jacket.

"Well, well, well… what do we have here?" Came a voice from the trees, revealing Mizuki, holding another kunai in his hands as he had two enormous shuriken strapped to his back by a pair of ropes attached to his own vest. "And here I thought that you'd be alone Naruko… should have known that "Fox Hound Iruka' would be the one to sniff you out." This sentence alone left both before him confused. Naruko more so than Iruka, both at Mizuki's attitude, and towards the mention of 'fox hound', and iruka at being _called_ 'fox hound.'

"Hmph, you honestly didn't think we were going to let you pass, did you Naruko? After all you've done to this village? After all the pain and suffering you've forced others to go through?" Each word only confused Naruko more. Why was he saying these things? What did he mean what she had done? She hadn't done anything! Well, sure, there were a few pranks where she had done some minor property damage, but that was trivial stuff! Nobody got hurt!

"What's wrong, demon bitch? Don't have any idea what I'm talking about? Fine! Then let me tell you why! Why the entire village hates your very existence! Why even Iruka hates you!"

"No Mizuki! You can't! it's forbidden!" cried Iruka, laying at the base of a tree, flinging the final kunai from his back, now in his hand, at the white-haired teacher in an attempt to keep him from telling Naruko of her curse, but Mizuki merely deflected the kunai and laughed.

"Like I care! It's time this little bitch learned why she's hated! You see Naruko… thirteen years ago our lord the forth hokage died killing the Kyuubi no Yoko, the nine-tailed demon fox, but this is a lie! No human can kill a true demon lord! So, he did the only thing he could! He sealed it, into some nameless bitch of a child who's parents had died in the attack! You! That's why the village hates you! You are the Nine-Tailed Fox!"

Naruko stood, frozen after this declaration, staring ahead in shock. So wrapped up in her thoughts, she missed as Mizuki cried out 'die demon!' before hurling one of the large shuriken from his back at her, and didn't realize he had until Iruka had thrown her out of the way, the large steel star embedding itself into the swirl-pattern on his back, stabbing through his vest and into his back, blood running from the wound and down his back. Scared, Naruko looked up at Iruka, seeing tears running down his face.

"Is… is it true… nii-san? Do... do you hate me?" the words were barely a whisper, but Iruka heard them loud as if she had shouted them from atop the hokage monument, and they struck him like no physical wound ever could.

"No… I could never hate my little sister… never…" Iruka said quietly, smiling "You have no idea how much I care for you… now…" he coughed slightly, wincing, "I need you to take the scroll… and run Naruko… I'll hold Mizuki off long enough for you to get to the hokage and tell him of Mizuki's betrayal… please… be safe Naruko, now run!"

Iruka got back onto his knees, the large blade falling out of his back from the force and clattering to the ground, where Iruka picked it up, and, in one swift movement, spun and flung it at Mizuki, who merely side-stepped the four-pointed blade before drawing the final one.

"so, Iruka… You're actually willing to die for that demon bitch? You're stupider than I thought… ah well, I guess I'll just have to kill you too and say you were working with her… who knows, I might not only get to keep the scroll, but be promoted to Jounin as well!" Laughed the deranged chunin, probably to much bleach to the hair if you get my drift… "Now Iruka… say goodbye!" and with this he flung the large blade, or he would have at least, were it not for the ball of orange and yellow that drop-kicked him in the stomach mid-throw, causing the blade to go spiraling off into the trees, cutting off random branches.

"Nobody hurts my nii-san!" cried out Naruko as she stood on the branch, a dark look crossing her normally serene face. And in that moment, Mizuki actually looked scared. The full moon was upon them, and at that moment it pierced through the light cloud cover and the trees, striking her from above and causing her hair to glow with yellow-white light, her skin looking pale and seeming to glow slightly in the dark as her eyes were hidden in the shadow of her bangs, her whisker-like marks seeming to darken slightly as she clenched a fist at her side. But the scariest thing in his opinion, was the fact that what appeared to be an ethereal halo of light seemed to hover over her head.

But then Mizuki remembered that this was Naruko, and no amount of flashy moonlight or tricks of the eye would save her. She was a dead last, a know-nothing failure. And he was a high chunin. There was no way she could stop him. Grinning he got to his feet, drawing a kunai.

"Fine! If you're so eager to die, allow me to grant you that wish and send you straight to hell, demon!" he cried, lunging for Naruko, sinking the kunai deep into her stomach… only to have her burst into a cloud of smoke.

"My turn…" came a voice from behind him, turning he found another, and, on instinct slashed it, causing it to explode as well.

"What demon-sorcery is this?" cried out the irate chunin, eyes going wide.

"sorcery? You really don't know much for being a teacher mizuki-_sensei_" came Naruko's voice from the trees around him. "This is what I've been studying since I got here… the jutsu you _told me_ to learn. The Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Art of the Shadow Doppelganger." And with this, Naruko clones appeared on every branch, having been hidden under the disappearance jutsu since Naruko had snuck out of the clearing while Mizuki had been distracted with Iruka. Hundreds of them; hundreds of ethereal, glowing blond girls in orange jumpsuits. _Angry _blond girls in orange jumpsuits. If that thought alone doesn't make you shit yourself I don't know what will, remember readers. Never underestimate the power of little people in large numbers. (NN: I AM **NOT ****SMALL!**)

"Mizuki, prepare to get handed what you gave to my Nii-san back, one hundred-fold!" cried all the Naruko clones in unison as they leapt towards the stunned ninja, who was bombarded with punches, kicks, head-butts, bites, scratches, jabs, tugs, slaps, and anything else the hundred-plus clones could think of, before each poofed away, leaving a beaten and bruised, yet somehow still standing, Mizuki, who laughed.

"HAH! Like that was anything! You really are weak!" he cried out before spitting out both blood, and a tooth or two. Now speaking with a slight whistle he continued "You shink that will beat me? Hah! You're noshing but a failure! And you alwaysh will be!" and with that he laughed before a single Naruko walked forwards, glaring at him. Grinning, he pulled out a fresh kunai and made to swing at her, only for her to catch his wrist without even trying… hey, you try getting beat up by a hundred midgets and then keep going! (NN: WHAT DID I JUST_[can it Naruko! Or you'll be wearing a tutu the next two chapters!]_ *meep!*)

"You hurt my nii-san… you made me steal from my jiji… AND you called me a bitch like, like… six times! Don't you know it's not polite to swear in front of girls!" and with that she formed a single, one handed sign, still holding Mizuki's wrist in her other, "Welcome to a whole new world of pain shit head! Raiton: Baka Koharu no jutsu!" (lightning style: Stupid Firefly)

Iruka watched, dumbstruck as it appeared that Mizuki had just grabbed onto a giant bug-zapper, being lit up by a blinding bluish white light that radiated from Naruko's body… which wasn't far from the truth, as when it started to die down a minute later, Iruka could see strands of electricity arcing off both bodies, although Naruko seemed completely un-effected, whereas Mizuki was scorched black along his clothes, and most of his skin. Releasing him, Naruko fell back onto her but, panting from using up so much chakra.

Iruka just stared, blinking several times as he looked between the girl and the man now laying unconscious and near-death with third degree burns over most of his body. Eventually, he came to his senses and asked the biggest question on his mind on the time.

"what in the name of kami almighty was that?" His response didn't come at first… but soon it was nothing but laughter on Naruko's part. Eventually she calmed down and explained how she had come up with that jutsu.

"Well, you see, I was visiting jiji one day and the elders came in and said they had 'important business to talk to him about' and all that stupid elders stuff. When I wouldn't leave that old bat Koharu tried to grab my arm and I kept out of her reach. She pinned me in a corner and some how I instinctively used it. No hand sings, just pure instinct or so jiji says… it covered my body in electricity and she grabbed onto my shoulder and got zapped.

"She was put into the hospital with mild nerve damage or something and jiji told me to see if I could do it again. I couldn't so he gave me some scrolls and told me to practice, and I've been working on it for the last six years… jiji still doesn't know that I can use it yet. I call it Baka Koharu no jutsu because she was just that trying to grab me, an idiot!" Naruko laughed, smiling at a dumbstruck Iruka.

_She… she made that jutsu on __accident__? She's either got the devil's luck… or some kind of guardian angel… although judging by tonight I wouldn't be surprised if she had both…_ Iruka thought quietly, recounting the events of when she had attacked Mizuki.

"Naruko… come here a second…" Iruka said, standing and leaning against the tree "there's something I want to give you… close your eyes" Naruko stood and moved over to the much taller chunin, doing as he said and closing her eyes. A minute or two later she felt warm fabric pressed against her forehead, and a knot being tied behind her head, confused she was tempted to open her eyes, but waited until her big brother said to.

"okay Naruko, open your eyes." He said, smiling and stepping back, letting the girl open her eyes to see him leaning against the tree, his forehead protector missing. Blinking slightly she lifted her hand to her forehead to feel the cool metal there and the leaf symbol engraved into its surface. "Congratulations Naruko… as Chunin teacher I am happy to allow you to graduate the ninja academy and become a fully recognized shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato." He waited for this all to process in her mind, and when she continued to stand there dumbstruck he smiled, leaning forwards to hug her, holding her close. "Congratulations my imouto… you pass."

Naruko finally broke down, hugging her brother back and crying tears of joy into his vest as she held him close… that is until he winced and coughed slightly.

"Itai… Naruko I'm still pretty hurt… can we save the hugs for after I get better?" This was met with laughter and nods as they retrieved the scroll and left the body of Mizuki to be found by ANBU, heading back to the hokage tower to tell the old man of the night's events…

"Ne… nee-san?"

"yes Naruko?"

"you called me your sister… right?"

"yeah, I did Naruko… why?"

"…because now it means you can call the old man 'jiji' too!"

"Naruko…"

* * *

AN/ And there you have it! Chapter 2 of Angel of the Leaves! Now for the credits!

As for the cameo, sorry to say it wasn't much of one since nobody here really knows who she is…

Teishu Hyuu was origionally created by me, but has such been taken up by one of my fellow members of Ninja Reviews, my other created name/appearance will be featured in a much later chapter, while the other 2 members are completely owned by their creators who's names I cannot divulge.

The idea for the 'six academy jutsu' was thought up by a friend of mine both in real life and here on fanfiction, and come from his fanfic "Koudoukou: Fools Gold" look it up and prepare for controlled insanity! It's good though! Like, Seriously!

The rope bind technique Mizuki uses is a real jutsu, I merely forgot the name… ._.

"Raiton: Baka Koharu no Jutsu" is a semi-original jutsu, meaning the concept has been done a hundred times before, but I came up with that name and method of discovery to name it as such.

Not sure what else has to be said… so here we go!

Ja Ne!  
Konohagakure no Sato representative Hyuu Teishu

Sunagakure no Sato representative Takami Haru


	3. Chapter 3: Angel hair and Devil's food

AN: Yo! Yup. Time again for Angel of the leaves! With a one-day span of time between finishing the last one and starting this one, but hey! That's inspiration for you!

Sasuke: Haru dose not own myself…hn… like he could.

Why would I want to? And do it right ya emo-bastard!

Sasuke: whatever… *Walks off*

*groans* I do not own anything of naruto exept a crappy little dollar store sand headband somewhere in my room and a few illegitimately gained naruto tcg cards. Well… okay, some are legit but the others… not so much… anyways! On with the fic!

"speaking"  
_thought_

(character interrupting the fic/note)

[_me interrupting the interrupter_]

Angel of the Leaves

Chapter 3 – Angel Hair and Devil's Food…

* * *

The sun shone through the window in Naruko's 'master bedroom' as Sarutobi called it, mainly because it was the room that contained the home owner. In truth it was only about as big as her old bedroom, merely with only a bed and bedside table contained within it as all her clothes were in the closet built behind her headboard.

As the sun rose higher the light struck the hair of the sleeping form in the bed, causing blond locks to burn with a fiery glow, and blue eyes to snap open. Naruko sat up quickly and grinned wide, looking over at the silver-and-blue article of clothing that she had been struggling to get for years. Movement near the door caused her to whip around towards it, only to find three forms bouncing onto her bed and up her body, licking at her face.

"Kona-chan! Hai-kun! Kofu-kun! I did it! See? I'm officially a ninja now!" she cried in joy, hugging the three foxes who then moved to the foot of her bed to watch her as she grabbed the headband and presented it to them. The grey form of 'Hai-kun' moved forwards to sniff at the metal before pressing his nose to it and shivering slightly, moving back to sit next to his mother and brother.

"Hehe, it's metal, so it'll be a little cold for a while… oh! I've gotta get ready! We're getting our teams today! Oh… please let me be on Shika's team…and Teishu-chan's too…" she muttered quietly to herself, leaping out of bed and heading to her personal shower, located through a concealed door in the corner.

The three foxes seemed to know what was going on, as they leapt from the bed and disappeared into a small tunnel like opening beneath it, vanishing to some other part of the house that only they could access.

"I'm ready… I'm ready… I'm ready… wait… why'm I saying this?" Naruko blinked into the mirror ass she studied her appearance. She may be a bit of a tom-boy, but she still cared somewhat about what she looked like… sort of. She looked at herself in the mirror, her still slightly-damp hair pulled back into its customary ponytail. Today was a bit of a tough decision for her… but she had managed to decide not to wear her orange jumpsuit for once in her life. Instead she wore a black tank top under an orange vest with a high collar, and orange shorts. (think her male counterpart's outfit from the Crescent Moon Kingdom) and her blue ninja sandals, her tool pouch strapped to her left hip and her kunai holster on her right leg, as per normal of course, with her headband tied around her forehead.

"Wow… I still cant believe I'm a ninja… oh crap! What time is it?" Looking around at a clock she rushed towards the door and practically flew out of the house, and past a surprised hokage, who then began to laugh before continuing up the road to lock the girl's home for her.

"Oh Sasuke-kuuuun!"

"Sa-asuke!"

"He's so dreamy!"

"Well duh! Last member of the Uchiha clan, drop dead gorgeous, and top of the class to boot! What's not to like about him!" (*_trying not to vomit as I type this_*)

The coos and squeals of the most dreaded species on the planet to any sane male in the world, also known as the fangirl, continued from behind the dark, brooding form of Uchiha Sasuke. (_emo bastard_.) He didn't even see why these girls were so obsessed with him. It's not like he did anything to impress them, no, he only had one goal, one reason to be the best. To get stronger and kill _that man_… too bad for him none of the gaggle of iggling gidiots… wait… giggling idiots, yes, giggling idiots, behind him, seemed to care, know, or even remotely respect. Ha ha Sasuke, ha ha ha.

Anyways, this was the sight which greeted Naruko as she entered the room. Sighing, she looked around, not seeing any empty seats, not even by her best friends who were buzy talking and hadn't noticed her entrance. Sighing dejectedly she merely walked over to the only available seat, which, just so happened to be next to a certain duck-butt-headed emo bastard.

"Hn."

"Whatever."

That was their only interaction, a grunt and an uninterested statement, while it was normal for them it was blasphemy to all those who looked on… mainly Sasuke's fan club, who gasped at the fact that a girl who knew their slice of god, Sasuke, could be so nonchalant and uncaring towards 'their man', not that any of them_ knew_ what that statement entailed… ah well, they'd learn one day.

It wasn't, however, the fangirls behind that startled the two, no. It was the fast footsteps and screaming that accompanied the arrival of the dark haired boy's biggest fans, the alpha females of his fanclub, Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino, as they crashed into the doorway, each trying to force their way past the other as they collapsed into a heap upon slipping and fell face-first to the floor. Neither was down long however as they both sprang up at the same moment.

"FIRST!" they screamed simultaneously, before glaring at the other.

"Oh come on forehead! We both know I was here first!"

"Yeah right Ino-pig! Like you'd ever be first at anything! I was first so I get to sit next to… NARUKO?"

"Hah! That's right forehead! You get to sit next to Naru-wait… Naruko's here?"

And with this the two girls turned, facing the seat where the blond sat, her lower face obscured by the high collar of her vest as she glanced over at the two, giving an unbothered wave before resting what supposedly was her chin on her elbows. It was then the two girls raced over to their blond classmate and stood before her.

"Naruko! Get out of my seat! You shouldn't even be here! You failed the exam!"

"Your seat? You mean MY seat forehead!" screamed Ino, before the rest of her anti-friend's sentence registered in her mind. "Wait… you did fail… why _are_ you here Naruko?" Ino blinked, actually more interested than upset, as Naruko was still her friend, but mainly because Naruko didn't like her precious Sasuke.

"It's a seat pinkie… and I managed to pass, didn't I?" Naruko said to the two, pointing lazily to her forehead where Iruka's old hitai-ate sat comfortably. Not wanting to go into detail she merely said "I took a… make-up exam." The two seemed to take it at face value, despite Iruka's final words before the exam the day previous.

"Well you're still in my-"

"MY seat!" the two then began to argue loudly, it nearly degenerating to a fist-fight, had Iruka not chose that exact moment to enter the room.

"Sakura! Ino! Take your seats!" he called out, causing the two girls to glare at one another before separating, Sakura making a seat behind her idol, while Ino sat next to Naruko.

"Well, I'm glad you all managed to come. As of today you are official Shinobi of the leaf, and the trials you have ahead of you will be long and hard, but I'm sure you will all make it past them. Now, listen carefully for team placements!"

Naruko chose to zone out until one of her friend's names were called. Sighing she began to think about who would be on her team, flashes of Teishu and Shikamaru ran through her head, but then Ino popped in, along with a few of her other friends, Choji, Kiba when he wasn't being an idiot, Hinata, and even Shino… well, they weren't 'friends' so to speak, but they were relatively comfortable with their silence.

"…and Hyuu Teishu, your sensei is newly appointed jounin Inuzuka Hana. Team six will be Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino and your sensei is also newly appointed, Yuuhi Kurenai. Team Seven is Uzumaki Naruko…" Naruko paid attention at all of this, sad that her friend wasn't on her team, but all the same fine with it… so long as she wasn't on the same team as…

"Uchiha Sasuke"

… him. Well… not like it could get any worse…

"And Haruno Sakura."

… oh fuck you Kami, fuck you with a fucking bridge.

Due to the number of students this will be the only squad with two girls to one boy, as most teams have two boys and one girl. Your jounin sensei will be Hatake Kakashi."

"Joy." Naruko muttered darkly, actually causing the boy beside her to arc his brow at her as she dropped her head to the table, promptly falling asleep until their sensei arrived.

Naruko slowly awoke, looking around the room to find herself completely alone save her team mates of the emo-avenger and mistress of migranes. Looking up at the clock, she saw that it had been four HOURS since she had fallen asleep. Slamming her head against the desk she groaned.

"Not this guy… jiji's told me about him…"

Now _this_ caught her squad's attention. Sasuke turned to her and arched a brow at the blond.

"Really? What's he like?"

"Late for everything… lazy… reads that same stupid little book I've caught jiji reading when he thinks I'm asleep on the couch…" she listed off, her team not realizing her 'jiji' was the leader of their village.

"It's been two and a half hours since the last sensei came by… what do you think is keeping him?" asked the pink-haired banshee, staring at the door as if he could walk through it at any second, heh, keep dreaming scream-queen.

"Probably reading his stupid porn… I don't know about you two, but I'm going to get something to eat. I'm starving." Naruko said, standing and heading towards the door.

"Wait Naruko you idiot! We're supposed to wait until he gets here!"

"Well then, you wait here and whittle away ms. 'I'm on a diet so I can look good for a boy'. Hello, we're ninja! Do you realize how many calories we burn in a day?" Naruko said, hitting herself in the forehead with the heel of her palm. "Duh, I'm keeping my strength up." And with this she left a stunned teammate in the room… before Naruko walked back into the room, holding what looked like a giant slingshot and a balloon full of some kind of liquid or powder or something.

"Naruko… aren't you going and getting food?" Sakura asked, slightly confused now.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, boss went to get food. I'm just setting something up for _sensei_" the blond replied, grinning and holding up the supplies, beginning to affix them to either side of the doorway, ignoring the confused and angry looks and comments from 'her' teammates. Welp, 'boss' had given her a job, so it was her duty to do it.

The blond laughed as she left the academy, grinning at the prank the clone she had created was setting up. Whistling a merry tune she headed towards her favorite eating establishment in the village: Ichiraku Ramen. The food stand was small, only having about eight seats along it's bar, but it had the best food in the village according to her, and due to some funding she had given them a while back after she had her house built (under the guise of a wealthy newcomer to the village) they now had the equipment to bake in the back room of the store.

Smiling, she ducked under the flap… well… walked under it really (NN: do you want me to hurt you? [_we both know you don't have the guts_] …) into the stand.

"Hey old man! A Naruko Special!" She said, smiling and hopping up to a stool before the counter.

"Ah! Naruko! I was wondering if you were going to drop by! How'd your exam go?" The old man, Ichiraku Teiuchi, said without turning to look at her, already preparing her order of three bowls of Miso Ramen with extra pork, beef, chicken, and egg, and her favorite desert, Chocolate cake.

Naruko hung her head slightly, her bangs obscuring her headband as she sniffed softly, causing the man to pause in his work to glance back at her.

"O…oh… I see…" Teiuchi said, a somber expression crossing his face as he moved to comfort the girl, when he reached her however, she lifted her head quickly and grinned, the light catching on the metal plate fixed to her forehead.

"I passed! With flying colors to boot!" She said happily, just as a brunette girl entered from behind the stand.

"Oh wow Naruko-chan! You did it! Congratulations!" Ichiraku Ayame, Teiuchi's daughter, called out, running around the stand to hug the small blond girl tightly, causing said blond to blush slightly as she hugged back.

"C-congratulations Naruko!" Teiuchi said after he got past his shock, grinning up a storm. "And as celebration, this round is on the house! Ayame! Quickly to the oven! We've got a Naruko Special to prepare!"

And with this the stand was busy as the duo worked quickly to prepare the miraculous meal to it's utmost perfection… wow big words make me feel dumb somehow… even when I write them. (NN: that's because you are dumb. _[hush you… they don't need to know that.] _)

Naruko's mouth watered at the smells wafting around the shop, awaiting her heaven in a bowl, and hell on a plate with eager eating utensils.

…(meanwhile)…

It had been two more hours since Naruko had actually left, her clone having gotten bored had begun to pace around behind her trap, hands held behind her back as the two merely watched her for something to do. Hell, the most interesting thing that had happened since the clone had constructed this thing was when Sakura's stomach had growled loudly, causing the clone to laugh and tell her an 'I told you so' from her 'boss', which in turn only made Sakura angrier.

Finally, footsteps could be heard as the door began to slide open, triggering the prank which launched the water balloon at the door, to which the person ducked easily… only to drop into a swinging arm holding a rubber stamp that collided with the jounin's lopsided headband perfectly, printing the word "Expired" on the man's 'forehead'.

The two genin at their seats were stunned that it had actually worked as the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke during their distraction, making it look like they were the only ones in the room to do this.

"My first impression… you guys are mean…" he said piteously before sighing. "Roof in five minutes." And with this he disappeared, leaving the two students to groan and walk up to the roof.

Naruko almost fell over laughing at the man's reaction, and how her prank had worked perfectly. Sighing that her break was over she headed quickly to the academy and saw the man standing on the roof, the mark still on his forehead as he appeared to be looking into a mirror at it. Running up the stairs to the roof she laughed as she appeared just behind her teammates, slightly out of breath.

"So… you lot are the bunch I've gotten stuck with… can't say I'm impressed…" he said, looking at them all, having tried to wipe away the mark on his forehead to no avail. "Well, take a seat and we'll all introduce ourselves." And with this the three sat on a bench that rested atop the building for those who liked to eat up here during lunch period.

"Sensei…" Sakura spoke up quietly, blushing at being the one to speak up first "Why don't you go first to show us how to do it?"

"Hmm… okay." He nodded, seeing the reasoning behind it. "My name is Hatake Kakashi. I like a great number of things-"

"Like porn." Naruko muttered under her breath.

The two next to her to stared at her blankly, causing Kakashi to sweat drop.

"again… a lot of things… I also dislike a great number of things, I have many hobbies-"

"Like reading porn."

His brow ticked, replacing the sweat drop as his frustration rose.

"I have many hobbies… and my dreams are my own…" at this Kakashi waited for Naruko to comment again before motioning to Sakura. "Okay pinkie, you next." Sakura blinked but nodded.

_All we learned was his name… and he didn't deny that porn bit… oh my gods he's a pervert!_ Was the only thought going through the rosette's head.

"My name is Haruno Sakura… uhhh… I like reading… and…" at this she glanced at Sasuke, blushing softly. "And I HATE that baka, Naruko! … My hobbies are reading… and-"

"Dieting like some kind of supermodel." Naruko said, falling backwards off of the bench and onto her back, staring up at the sky as Sakura fumed next to her.

"And my dream is…" with this she let out an inhuman squeal, looking at Sasuke and turning a deep shade of red.

"Uhhh… alright then, we'll give you a moment… you, dark and brooding… do you need an umbrella or are you sure you wont burst into flames or something?" This comment both shocked Sakura out of her reverie, and managed to cause Naruko to go into a laughing fit so bad she was having trouble breathing. Sasuke however didn't even seem to notice the comment as he bridged his fingers in front of him, resting his elbows on his knees.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke… I don't like much-"

"Men. He likes men." Naruko said, surprisingly with a completely straight face… and again, nobody denied anything except for Sakura… the pink banshee… wait… already called her that… crap! What else can I call her! (AN: _okay, after this chapter I need you all to send me things to call Sakura! I'm running on empty people! I don't think I can do more than two more chapters without repeating myself every other paragraph!_)

"And I hate everything else…"

"Like Women, thank kami." Again, the blond said this with a straight face, causing Kakashi to actually give the dark-haired boy a strange look before shaking himself out of it.

"And I don't have any hobbies… but I do have a dream… To restore my clan-"

"Sorry Sasuke… restoring a clan requires a wife, and girls are icky, remember?" that actually managed to crack her teammate's shell as a tick mark appeared above his brow.

"And… the other part of my dream… is more of an ambition… to get strong… and kill a certain man… and if she keeps it up a certain blond idiot."

"Awww, I'm touched! You actually care enough to threaten my life!" Naruko said happily, looking over at the back of the last Uchiha's head with a smile.

_Wow… I think I've got my entire team figured out already… we've got a what appears to be __the__ example of the word fangirl, straight down to the dieting for a boy, a dark and brooding avenger-type who apparently has a thing for men… and a smart-mouthed blond who seems to have a knack for pointing out people's most embarrassing past-times… well, best to hear it from the horses mouth I guess…_ Kakashi thought to himself, closing his eye as he pointed to Naruko.

"You, the short one." This time it was the blond who had the tick mark on her forehead.

_She's probably thinking something along the lines of 'I hate him so much' or something…,_ Kakashi thought as she glared briefly at him. _Yup… nailed it!_

"My name is Naruko Uzumaki." She said softly, looking back up at the sky, her face blank once again. "I like the simple things in life… a good bowl of ramen and a really big slice of chocolate cake, being around my friends… a really nice prank, things like that. I really don't like people who judge someone before they get to know them, and before either of you say anything I've seen you both act exactly as you are now since I met you." This last comment seemed to cut the retorts coming from the two sitting next to her off at the stem. When she was sure they weren't going to say anything she continued.

"I also don't like the three minutes it takes for instant ramen to cook, but that's just me. I like gardening, caring for the three pets I keep with me at my home, and learning new things… and my dream…"

"hmph, let me guess, you want to be Hokage?" Sasuke muttered, rolling his eyes, to which Sakura nodded.

"Yeah, knowing you that would be _your_ dream." At this Naruko merely sighed.

"No… I… I just want to know what it's like to be part of a family…"

That one answer caused everyone to pause before looking at her.

"I want to come home and have someone waiting there for me asking how my day went, someone to sit with me at the dinner table so I'm not there all alone like I always am… always alone…"

No one said a thing, they merely stared. While Kakashi had known that Naruko was an orphan, and that she lived alone, she had never shown that she was…well… lonely. Sasuke and Sakura however were completely shocked. This was Naruko, the same loud, obnoxious Naruko they had always known, now looking blankly up at the sky, her normally bright eyes now cold as stone.

"My other dream though… is to become a great Kunoichi, that way people will respect me, and finally see me for who I am, not some kind of demon or monster…" and there it was, the fire they had always known was back in an instant as Naruko stood up, staring at the hokage monument. "And if it takes becoming Hokage to do it Sasuke, then so be it! From today on I'm gonna strive to be just that, the most respected ninja in the village, the one in charge of protecting everyone! One day, I'm gonna be Hokage!"

The three continued to stare, but Kakashi had to do a double take, it was now around six and the light had struck her just right so as to set her hair aflame with color from where he looked on, mixing it with whites and golds, as what appeared to be a shining halo of light hung above her head. Blinking he looked back, but it was all gone, simply Naruko turning back to look at them, a wide grin on her face.

"And to do that, we're all gonna have to get strong, right? Can't have you two dragging me down!" Sasuke snorted, grinning at her.

"Hmph, yeah right, like we're going to bring _you_ down" he smirked, standing and nodding.

"Y-yeah! If anything you'll bring us down!" Sakura joined in, giving her own smile, which seemed half condescending, half playful… somehow, don't ask me how, it just did, okay? This in turn caused all three to laugh and smile, nodding.

_Wow.. I really did underestimate you Naruko… I get the feeling… yeah, you really are destined for great things…Who knows, you may just accomplish your dream Naruko… and when you do… I get the feeling you'll be a great Hokage… whup, best put my own mask back on… haha… that's actually kinda funny…_

"Alright Team Seven." Kakashi spoke up, getting the three's attention quickly onto himself, waiting for them to settle down a bit. "You three are to report to training ground Seven tomorrow morning at… Six o'clock AM for Survival training."

"But Sensei, we already did survival training in the academy…" Sakura said, unsure of what he was getting at. Surprisingly enough it was Naruko who got it first.

"The stuff in the academy is just kids stuff compared to what will happen out in the real world… remember what Iruka said before the exam? We're bottom rung now… we've gotta work really hard if we wanna get back up there… right sensei?" Kakashi was a little taken aback. Nobody had ever guessed it flat out to his knowledge.

"uhhhh… yeah, pretty much right on the money there Naruko… you see, the exam where you became shinobi was only to see if you had what it takes to become a ninja, where as this test weeds out those who still need practice. This test has a sixty-six point six percent failure rate, meaning only about one-third of the students who actually became shinobi will pass and stay shinobi. The other two-thirds will be sent back to the academy for remedial training, and allowed to re-take the jounin-administered exam again next year."

"What? But we worked so hard to get out of the academy!"

"Sakura… didn't you hear what I just said! Well…what Iruka said that I reminded you of? 'Everything you learned in the academy is useless' remember? We're genin, the lowest level of shinobi. Do you honestly think you could take on someone like kakashi-sensei?" Naruko groaned, rubbing her forehead while Kakashi blinked, wondering how he had gotten dragged into all this. Anyways, it was about time to get out of here to report to the hokage on all this.

"Uhh… anyways, right, training ground seven, six AM. Don't be late and don't eat breakfast, you'll just throw it up." He gave one of his paten pending eye-smiles before disappearing in a puff of smoke, leaving three confused genin atop the academy.

"well… don't know what that last bit was about… but I'm still gonna have breakfast… not eating is kinda stupid…" Naruko said softly, heading for the stairs.

"But Kakashi-sensei said not to eat!" Sakura spoke up, frowning.

"Yeah, and remember what I said earlier? We're shinobi now. How many calories are we gonna burn through in the average day? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it gives you the energy to keep going. Not eating would just be stupid." And with those words, Naruko left.

"But, but… baka! Why should we listen to her, right Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn…"

And Sakura was alone on the roof, not noticing her precious 'Sasuke-kun' had abandoned her on the roof top.

* * *

AN/ Well, that's chapter 3! R&R please!

As stated in the chapter itself, I'm running out of Sakura-bashing terms, so it'd help if you'd send them in! if you're a fan of Sakura… too bad, I'm still gonna bash.

Sorry, no cameos this time 'round. Next chapter will be after I get _**at least 30 reviews**_, that's 10 reviews a chapter, and three chapters… not that that means I want literally 10 reviews a chapter, just 30 total with an _average_ of 10 per chapter. I must get these reviews by the end of (the month) if I'm to continue to write this fiction. If I don't receive the 30 reviews in that month, I'm canceling public production. Sorry! I will still E-mail the chapters to those who wish for me to continue to write it, but the public shall not receive chapter 4 until I receive those 30 reviews!

Haru Takami

Sunagakure no Sato representative of Ninja Reviews


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